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Hi All,

 

So I just got affinity photo today and for one primary reason, I need to be able to remove the background from photos with images of people in it.

 

I used to use WebPlus for this and they had a tool called 'Photo Editor' which would allow you to click on the background and it would remove blocks of colours up a different shade. For example a white background would be removed up to the outline of a persons arm/ body.

 

How do I do this on affinity photo? Going round the outline of a person is fiddly and takes time so I am looking for a quick solution.

 

Thanks for taking the time.

 

George

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Hi George,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Affinity Photo is a photo editing app. It has a more elaborated way to cutout elements from an image (or remove the background).

An easy a powerful way of doing it is to use the Selection Brush Tool to create a rough selection of the object you want to select/cutout, then click the Refine button in the context toolbar if needed (to refine the edges mostly) and select the Output (dropdown) you want from the bottom of the refine dialog. If you select Mask it will remove the background masking it (hidden it), if you select New layer it will create a new layer with the object you selected only (without background). Check this video tutorial to learn how to cut out an object/person. This video tutorial also covers the entire process using an animal with fur as an example (which implies a little more work when refining the edges) but the process is the same for any object as you saw in the first video (and eventually simpler and quicker since there's no fur to select/refine).

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This is lengthy, but I really need help. I have posted this in a new topic, but since you mention the process here, I hope I can post here.

 

I'm using Affinity Photo [v1.5.2] on an iMac. I have a photo that I removed the background from by:

 

  1. ​Open photo
  2. Selection Brush (selected the subject of the photo only)
  3. Clicked "Refine" (added strands of hair I wanted to be included)
  4. Output>"New layer with mask"
  5. New Pixel layer with mask is created

 

At first, I can't  add/subtract from the mask using "Refine". When I click the mask icon, and select the Selection Brush again, I see the "Refine" button at the top of the screen, and it opens up, but I can no longer add or subtract from the image like I was able the first time around.

 

When I click on the mask layer, select the Selection Brush again (so I can get the "Refine" button to show), choosing Foreground or Background does nothing when painting in the area(s) I want to be visible or invisible. As a matter of fact, placing the cursor (round circle representing the brush) on top of an area, does not reveal any expected change underneath. So when I paint over a section choosing "Foreground", I can only paint over the already "red" sections which don't alter anything. If I paint choosing "Background", nothing happens at all.

 

Then, I noticed that clicking on "Refine…" at the top of the window is what doesn't allow any changes after the fact. If I right click on the mask itself, the context menu allows "Refine Mask…" enabling me to now be able to utilize the Foreground, Background, or Feather options. But, the end result when using Foreground or Background, is an ugly pixelated result on these new selections and all around the edges of my image once applied. You can see what I mean looking at the edges of the hat, blouse, and even the necklace in the attached file.

 

"Matte Edges" being off or on does not change anything. Also, when "Matte Edges" is unchecked, painting over an area with "Background" as a choice doesn't produce that section from being removed (or included if "Foreground"). Only if "Matte Edges" is checked will it be removed when selecting "Background" (or included if "Foreground").

 

And, as I stated before, I can only refine the mask by right-clicking on the mask icon, and not by clicking the "Refine…" button at the top of the toolbar.

 

Something has to be wrong here, but not sure what it is.

post-7178-0-04402700-1497579749_thumb.jpg

In God's Harmony

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The image is a JPG (900x600) 302KB file size.

 
I downloaded the 1.6 Beta, opened the same photo>Selection Brush>Refine>Output New Layer with Mask, and up to that point it was fine. The moment I right click on the mask to further Refine, that's when the pixelation occurs immediately. Yet, If I try to edit/refine other portions of the mask, it may not get pixelated. Seems random.

In God's Harmony

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I'm still very much in need of a solution to this problem. I'm working on another project and this issue of pixelation when further editing a mask continues. It is ruining my projects. Not only that, it seems that now, not only is it pixelating when further editing a mask, if I choose "Foreground" or "Background" and do a brush stroke to paint over the area I want to be affected, the brush stroke is applied to another random section of the image. What is going on here? I tried the Beta as suggested before, and it's the same problem.

 

I really need a solution to this, and I have not received any input from anyone on this thread.

 

Also, it seems that adding a layer with any masked image is now adding a white thin frame/border line (the entire outer edge of the image) onto any layer underneath it.This did not happen before. I'm including a partial screen shot of what I mean. It may be difficult to notice at first since it is white, but I will try to indicate in red what I mean.

 

 

post-7178-0-70896100-1498518684_thumb.png

In God's Harmony

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Hi roddy,

Sorry the delay getting back to you. We are already aware of this issue (the artefacts when refining a previously refined selection/mask). It's with the dev team to be looked at.

MEB,

 

Thanks. Please read the additional comment and attached file. This also started happening today.

Are the white outlines framing the image also part of the same problem your developers are looking into?

In God's Harmony

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  • 2 weeks later...

MEB,

Please, can you let me know if the additional white lines outlining my image is also part of the problem?

Any update from the developers in being able to fix this issue?

In God's Harmony

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